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Col. WM. DUDLEY'S DEFEAT 



OPPOSITE 



Fort M e i g s 



May 5TH, 1813. 



Pfficial Repo i\t f i\ 



O M 



Captain LESLIE COMBS 



TO 



General GREEN CLAY. 



Printed for WILLIAM DODGE. 



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CINCINNATI : 

SPILLER & GATES, PRINTERS, 108 VINE STREET. 
1869. 



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Fayette County, May 6th, at night. 
Deak Sir : 

Herewith I forward you a kind of official account 
of CoL Dudley's defeat- I have made it more full 
than I at first intended, in order that, should you not 
be enabled to get any better, you may make use of 
this. I hardly think you will obtain a more correct 
one, as I have been at some pains to inform myself 
particularly of those circumstances of which I was 
ignorant at the time. No ofi&cer, I will venture to say, 
can give a complete detail of that afi*air from his own 
knowledge. We all had our duties to perform, and 
even our commander was unable (from the fact of 
being on foot) to see how everything was managed. 

Any other information I can furnish you respecting 
those officers who fell, etc., will be, if required, with 
pleasure afforded. 

I remain yours with respect, etc. 

LESLIE COMBS. 
General Green Clay. 



Col. WM. DUDLEY'S DEFEAT 



OPPOSITE 



F O R T MEIGS. 



Fayette County, May 6, 1815. 
Dear Sir : 

With feelings of painful recollection I proceed, 
in compliance with your request, to detail to you the 
particulars of a transaction, as dishonorable to our late 
enemy as it was disastrous to us. 

When Col. Dudley attacked the batteries of the 
enemy, opposite Fort Meigs, on the 5th of May, 1813, 
he advanced in three columns. The right, led by 
himself, carried them without the loss of a man. The 
middle was the reserve. The left, headed by Major 
Shelby, formed at right angles on the river, to protect 
from below. This arrangement was scarcely made 
before the spies under my command (about thirty in 



CoL Wm, Dudley s Defeat 



number, including seven friendly Indians), who flanked 
at some hundred yards distance in the woods, were 
attacked by part of the Indian force of the enemy. 
Unacquainted with the views of Col. Dudley, they 
knew nought but that it was their duty to fight. For 
near fifteen minutes, with the loss of several killed 
and wounded, they maintained an unequal conflict. 
In this time. Col. Dudley having eff*ected /m object, 
and fearing their fate, had advanced to their relief 
with the right column. The enemy retreated. Our 
troops, impelled more by iyicautious valour and a 
desire for military distinguishment than prudence, 
pursued. He then stood firm for a short time on his 
right, and gave way on his left, which threw our line 
with its back towards the river, so that every step we 
advanced carried us farther from under the protection 
of our fort. Whenever we halted, so did the Indians, 
and renewed their fire — we charged on them. They 
again retreated. In this luay, with the loss of from 
thirty to fifty killed on our side, and a number 
wounded, was the battle fought for upwards of three 
hours. How much the enemy sufl'ered during this 
time, 'twas impossible to ascertain from the circum- 
stance of ^their bearing off their dead. Soon after the 



opposite Fort Meigs, 7 



commencement of the engagement ive were forced to 
bring our whole force into action. The enemy was, 
during; this time, receiving; large reinforcements from 
the other side of the river which enabled him now 
nearly to surround us. Our troops were generally 
much exhausted, owing to the swampiness of the 
ground over which they had fought, and many of them 
with their guns wet, or without ammunition. In this 
situation the enemy in much force, fresh to the battle 
pressed with a most destructive crossfire on our left. 
It gave way. Conscious of his advantage, with a 
desperate effort he advanced on the remainder. These, 
disheartened and confused, were ordered to retreat to 
the batteries. Unfortunately, this retreat soon turned 
to flight, which all the efforts of the officers could 
neither prevent nor stop. 

The best disciplined troops in the world are some- 
times panic struck — then can it be surprising that 
militia, under these circumstances, and who had seen 
scarce thirty days service, should become so? In 
small parties, by tens and by twenties, they arrived at 
the batteries, thereby falling an easy prey to the reg- 
ular force of the enemy, who, early in the action had 
retaken them from the right column. Thus, upwards 



8 CoL JVm, Dudley s Defeat 

of eight hundred men, who had set out with the most 
flattering prospects of success, led on by imprudence, 
were overwhelmed by numbers, cut up, and defeated. 
About one hundred and seventy only having ifnade 
good their retreat before the close of the battle, 
escaped across the river in our boats. 

Immediately after the surrender, we were marched 
off towards Fort Maumee, one and a half miles below, 
near the British encampment. We had gone but a 
short distance before we met the head of the left line 
of Indians who had been enclosing us. Having sur- 
rendered to Englishmen entirely, I expected we should 
be treated with that tenderness and humanity indic- 
ative of a noble mind, and always due the unfortu- 
nate. What was then my astonishment when, so 
soon as we met the Indians, they began, in face of the 
English guard, of Gen. Proctor, Col. Elliot, and other 
oncers who were riding up the line, to rob us of our 
clothing, money, watches, etc. Almost all lost in 
this way their hats and coats, some even their shirts, 
and some their pantaloons also. He who did not 
instantaneously give up his clothes, frequently paid his 
life for it. No difference was made between well and 
wounded in this as well as what followed. It would 



opposite Fort Meigs, 



be almost impossible to relate all the acts of individual 
outrage that took place. I shall never forget the 
demoniac look of the villain who stripped me, nor 
shall I soon forget those who encouraged, since, not- 
withstanding my request, they did not hinder him 
from doing it. I showed him my wound. 'Twas 
vain ; before I could unfasten the bandage, regardless 
of my pain, he tore my coat off from my shoulders. 
I had gone but little farther before I saw ten or twelve 
men, lying dead, stripped naked and scalped. Near 
them were two lines of Indians formed from the 
entrance of a triangular ditch in front to the old gate 
of Fort Maumee, a distance, I think, of forty or fifty 
feet. The idea immediately struck me that all the 
prisoners ahead of me had been massacred. T deter- 
mined, if such was the case, to go no further. Upon 
inquiring, a soldier told me they were in the fort, and 
showed me the way which was between those two 
lines of Indians. During this moment's delay, a man 
who was walking behind, stepped before me ; just as 
we entered the defile, an Indian put a pistol to his 
back, and fired — he fell. I ran through without being 
touched. My feelings were somewhat relieved at 
finding about two-thirds of the prisoners already 



lo CoL Wm, Dudley s Defeat 



within. How many were killed afterwards I am 
unable to say. We heard frequent guns at the place 
during the whole time the remaining prisoners were 
coming in. Some, although not killed, were wounded 
severely with war clubs, tomahawks, etc. The num- 
ber who fell after the surrender, was supposed by all 
to be nearly equal to the killed in battle. We now 
hoped, however, that we were secure from further 
insult or injury — but no sooner had all the prisoners 
got in than the whole body of Indians, regardless of 
the opposition of our little guard, rushed into the fort. 
There seemed to be almost twice our number. Their 
blood-thirsty souls were not yet satiated with carnage. 
One Indian alone shot three, tomahawked a fourth, 
and stripped and scalped them in our presence. It 
seems to me, even to this day, whenever I think of 
this circumstance, that I again see the struggles of the 
dying prisoner and hear him cry, in vain, for mercy. 
The whole then raised the war-whoop and commenced 
loading their guns. What were our feelings at this 
moment, he, who has never realized can not imagine. 
A description is impossible. Without any means of 
defence or possibility of escape, death in all the horror 
of savage cruelty, seemed to stare us in the face. 



opposite Fo7't Meig^, 1 1 



Rendered desperate hy this idea, and the perfect dis- 
regard which the British evinced for that duty lield 
sacred by all civilized nations (the protection of pri- 
soners), much did we wish for our arms, and had we 
then had them, they would have been surrendered but 
with our lives. Or, had this been carried much farther, 
the prisoners would, at any risk, have sold their lives 
as dearly as possible. Tecumseh, however, more hu- 
mane than his ally and employer, generously interfered 
and prevented farther massacre. Colonel Elliot then 
rode slowly in, spoke to the Indians, waved his sword, 
and all but a few retired immediately. After a short 
consultation with those who remained, they came and 
took from among us a number of young men, of whom 
the British said they wanted to make sons, but lue 
feared they took them as hostages for the lives of 
those Indians who were wounded. Just at dusk, boats 
came up and carried us to the fleet, eight miles below. 
Notwithstanding the naked condition of the prisoners, 
and the disagreeableness of the weather (which was 
rainy and excessively cold for the season) many of 
them were obliged to remain all night in the open 
boats in ankle-deep mud and water. The wounded 
were put into the holds of the different vessels, where 



12 CoL Dudley s Defeat 



their only bed (and a good many had not even this) 
was the wet sand thrown in for ballast, without blan- 
kets or any other kind of covering. Provision was 
issued to them the next day about twelve. Their 
treatment afterwards was nearly as good, I am induced 
to believe, as the British could afford, being them- 
selves scant of provisions. I feel myself particularly 
indebted to some of the officers for their politeness and 
attention. 

Thus, sir, I have endeavored, as briefly as possible, 
to relate to you a transaction, the particular hardships 
of which are but little known. To describe the scenes 
which, altho' time may serve to ameliorate the poign- 
ancy of the feelings they gave rise to, can never, while 
one spark of honor or fellow feeling is mine, be entirely 
eflPaced from my mind. 

I can not conclude this letter without testifying 
to the bravery and carelessness of danger displayed 
by the troops throughout the engagement. The 
only contest seemed to be, while any hope of 
victory remained, who should first oust the enemy 
from his hiding places. And I am convinced, when 
the retreat commenced, by far the greater part had 
no idea of surrender, but exhausted, confused, and 



opposite Fort Meigs, 13 



overcome, were forced to it 011 tlieir arrival at the 
batteries. 

I remain, with respect, etc., 

Yom- most ob't, 

LESLIE COMBS, Gaj)t Spies. 
Gbin. Green Clay. 



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